The first few days went fine. Lacey and Danny both engrossed in their respective responsibilities. Lacey kept her head in her schoolwork, finding incredible inspiration for some new paintings.
With the entire football team off campus, Phoebe was on the prowl, striking out with absolutely everyone else.
"I love the planetarium!" Phoebe lied to whomever was on the other end of her phone, rolling her eyes at Lacey, "Friday? I can't, but hey, what are you doing tonight? Maybe come over, not watch Netflix together? Right, no, I was being subtle—'cause I—dude, no I just want to get laid. Okay, I understand. See you in class."
"How'd that go?"
"I didn't realize nerds were such a hot commodity when it comes to dick share."
"That sucks—"
"When do the guys come back?" Phoebe sighed in frustration.
"It's only Wednesday, Phoebs, we still have eleven days."
"Do you know the hours, minutes and seconds too?" Phoebe smiled at her roommate.
"Hey you asked—"
"I know you must be missing your guy. You two talking?"
"Yeah I guess, we've texted a few times. He's not my guy."
"Yeah, OK. I'd be all over that shit, making sure the girls weren't all up in there—"
"They are all over him, all the time."
"You need to stop that shit."
"How am I supposed to do that exactly? You've seen what it's like."
The gears turning in Phoebe's head were almost audible as she turned slowly and looked at Lacey with wide, excited eyes.
"Oh no."
"Where are they for Friday night's game?!"
"Phoebs—"
"Is it in New York? How far away could they possibly be? Let's go! We'll surprise them, we'll re-up for next week, everybody wins!"
"He's going to be traveling like this from now until summer break. I have to get used to it or decide to let this situation go."
"I get it, but maybe every couple of weeks we'll come to an away game. This is your first two weeks apart, maybe you should ease into it anyway. Set yourselves up for success!" Phoebe was standing now, pacing with arms flailing as her mind took off.
Lacey looked up their schedule, "They are playing at West Point on Friday." Lacey grumbled.
"So, what's wrong with that?! Are you seriously griping about seeing more fine ass men in uniforms?"
"Number one, I'm only interested in one fine ass man. Number two, we'll never get tickets. Number three, it's three and a half hours away and we do not have a car!"
Phoebe deflated a little, "Ugh! You make valid points you asshole! Fine, I guess I'll just wait. What other choice do I have?" Phoebe stomped over to her desk and plopped down.
"No sex makes you grumpy." Lacey pointed out to exactly no one.
Wednesday was also difficult for Danny. Him and Lacey had been pretty much inseparable before this, having intense, powerful sex almost daily. He had switched from multiple partners to only one partner, but hadn't missed out on any action—until now.
Currently, Danny's tongue was down Regina's throat as she sat in his lap. They both still had their clothes on despite Regina's previous objections. She hadn't had a piece of Danny in so long, she'd take anything she could get.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Regina pushed lightly, "I know you want it, I can literally feel it—" She rolled her tiny V, still covered by her extra tight and barely there cheer shorts against the huge bulge in his pants.
Danny kissed her frantically, her constantly running dirty mouth always boosting his desire for moving forward. She tried again to pull his shirt off and Danny deflected her, again.
"Damn it, Danny—" Regina spat out in frustration, "This is kid stuff."
Danny rested his forehead against hers and tried to dissuade his junk from wanting more.
"You're right, you should go." He knew what he was missing and it wasn't her.
"I can't go." Regina looked at him with a pouty face, "You haven't given me what I came for yet."
Danny moved to stand up, Regina still wrapped around his waist. He pulled her away and brushed her hair to the side of her face, being a total sweetheart as usual.
"It's late, I'll see you tomorrow." Danny opened his hotel room door and Regina begrudgingly stomped out.
Archie: Was that the sound of you finally kicking the princess out?
Danny: You could have come back any time, it's your room too
Archie: Not up for watching whatever just went down
Danny: Nothing happened
Archie walked into their room a few moments later, eyes squinting in deep thought as he looked around at the two still perfectly made beds.
"You two smash against the wall? I told you that's bad for your knees—"
"Dude, nothing happened."
Archie walked up to Danny and snaked his hand around the back of his neck, running his fingers through Danny's hair and staring at him as if recalling a fond memory he'd never have again. He nodded to himself and then pulled away, sprawling onto his bed with his phone.
"Archie—"
"You know, I just didn't think that the two people I'm most drawn to, would find each other and ditch me."
"I'm just trying something new." Danny sat on the edge of his own bed, "I'm trying not to hurt anybody, but instead it feels like I'm hurting everybody."
"You are." Archie said bluntly, knowing his teammate, first college friend and first real adult hookup would appreciate his honesty, "I'm just saying, we all had expectations after last year. You're not doing anything wrong, it's just, we're going to need a minute to get used to life without you."
"Nothing has changed, I haven't gone anywhere—"
Archie swung his legs down and sat himself up so they were facing each other.
"Nothing has changed? So you didn't just kick out a very juicy, sexually frustrated Regina Crane?"
Danny smiled at that, "I have no control over other people's biology, okay?"
"Oh yes you do!" Archie laughed.
"Okay, okay, but nothing else has changed—"
"So you're telling me I can own your perfect asshole right now, just like on last year's trips?" Archie went for it, voice low.
Danny just sat and watched helplessly as Archie slid off the bed and crawled over to kneel at Danny's feet. Danny licked his lips, Regina's soft body still on his mind as Archie pulled off his own shirt to reveal his toned athletic chest. Soft and hard, a perfect combination. Archie began rubbing Danny's feet, much like the way Danny liked to do for everyone else. He closed his eyes.
"I'm not trying to pressure you, I'm just proving my point that everything has changed." Archie stopped abruptly and stood, heading to his suitcase to rummage for pajamas.
"I promised her." Danny said simply.
"I think you didn't think this through." Archie pulled off his clothes and decided on just sleeping in his boxer briefs, "Was this change because of me?"
"What are you talking about?"
"C'mon, two dudes fucking on the football team? That's a big secret to keep. Someone like Lacey shows up, beautiful freshman, easy to jump onto and just reset your whole life for. I get it, I guess. I like her too."
"No, no." He shook his head, "It's not like that." Danny's eyes all over Archie's almost naked body, "You're not a burden and there is no big secret to keep. Private shit stays private with me, you know that and our shit is no different than when I'm with anyone else."
Archie sighed, just frustrated in general, "Yeah, I know I'm just—I'm trying to make it make sense. I think Regina and I just don't like rejection and maybe—" He hesitated.
"Maybe what?"
"Maybe we both just wanted to be the one you chose."
"I promised her." Danny emphasized again, standing and taking his turn pulling his clothes off for bed too.
"What did you promise her exactly?" Archie asked, knowing Danny had just sucked face with Regina.
"Lacey knows I'm still seeing people, she's not my girlfriend. We just—we're exploring monogamist sex right now."
"Where's the line?" Archie asked, his eyes now drinking in Danny's beautiful body.
"I'm not sleeping with anyone else." Danny answered knowing exactly what Archie was hoping for.
Archie took the few steps to close the gap between them.
"Sex. That's it?"
Archie couldn't keep his mouth closed, lips parted so he could suck in the oxygen he needed to fuel his raging heartbeat. Danny had a similar problem, Regina having ignited an urge so deep that he wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside of Lacey right now. Eleven more days he thought, exhaling sharply.
"So maybe this is okay?" Archie pecked at Danny's lips gently, testing him, "Seems okay." He breathed out against his mouth before kissing him properly, hands moving around to Danny's ass as if on autopilot.
They had been here many times before. Danny was worried in the back of his mind about stopping in time. He wasn't about to crush Lacey the first time they were tested with being apart. Still, god he wanted this. He hadn't been with another guy since the end of his freshman year. Archie had been his favorite.
Danny sprang to life and kissed Archie back hungrily, hands sliding across his signature stubble. Archie worked his hands along Danny's backside, kneading his petite ass like dough. He pulled Danny closer with every squeeze forward, desperately wanting to revisit the performance he knew Danny was capable of giving him.
Despite Archie's efforts, Danny's hands stayed above the equator, in Archie's hair, around his neck, rubbing his back. Because of this, Archie began to lose steam. He pulled back and the two stared at each other with equal parts want and regret.
"I'm sorry." Archie nodded, pulling away even further, "I'm just—this is hard. It's not you, I'm being selfish I know, but I'm just so lonely."
"I completely understand. I'm sorry too. I didn't mean for it to feel like I was bailing on you guys, but Lacey, she's—" Danny shook his head, trying to think of the words to describe his feelings for her.
Archie parked his horny ass back on his bed and ran his hands through his hair a few times, an attempt to self-soothe.
"You like her, like, really like her."
"She's different, yeah."
"What does this mean? Are you going to go all in with her or what?"
Danny took a turn sitting on the ground and pulling Archie's feet into his lap.
"I still don't believe monogamy like that is something I want in my life, but right now my heart is there so I'm just going with it. Archie—" Danny held the squeeze he had on Archie's foot until he looked at him, "My body wants hers right now, I can't help it. I know that you, more than anyone else, can relate."
Archie huffed our a single laugh, "You're right about that."
"And I've told you before that you're not alone. You ready for me to hook you up yet?"
Danny had interacted with so many people last year. He had an incredible network of friends and lovers from all areas of love. He had explained to Archie before that their situation wasn't as unique or unicorn as he thought it was.
Danny wouldn't elaborate on who, but made sure that Archie knew that there were other guys like him. Athletes who were too scared or simply unwilling to reveal their preferences, but who wanted the low key hook-ups that Danny offered.
"I want it to be you, idiot." Archie flopped backward onto the bed.
"C'mon, I know what you like. I won't just match you up with some top who doesn't cuddle after. It's big spoon time, I already know—" Danny smiled and ground his thumbs into the balls of Archie's feet.
Archie moved his arms up to lay them across his face. He wanted to block out the light, the vision of Danny, everything really.
"You think one of those guys could be my Lacey?"
"You'll never know unless you try. I did, and last year, no one fucked with me. I'm accepted, I think you'll be surprised. I'm not saying you need to do anything you're not comfortable with, I'm just saying, there are other guys. There's no reason to be lonely."
"Okay."
"Yeah?" Danny stopped rubbing and reversed dipped himself back up onto his bed.
Archie stayed down, "Yes." He sighed, terror obvious in his voice.
"Cool."
Danny swung his arm out across the space between them and slapped Archie's, only Archie didn't let go and pulled Danny over into his bed.
"I'm gonna miss the hell outta you, D."